Wells Fargo fires Milwaukee woman for 1972 shoplifting conviction

APWells Fargo Home Mortgage spokesman Jim Hines said that firing Quesada was not part of a downsizing initiative.

Wells Fargo Home Mortgage fired a Milwaukee woman last week after discovering she shoplifted over 40 years ago.

The Milwaukee Journal Sentinel reports that Yolanda Quesada, a 58-year-old customer service representative, had just graduated from high school when she was arrested and convicted. She was fired last week after an FBI background check showed two shoplifting arrests in 1972, one resulting in a $50 fine and the other leading to a one-year probation sentence.

"I just got the FBI report on Saturday in the mail. Monday, they said you're fired. They never let me say what happened, explain myself, nothing," Quesada told the Journal Sentinel on Saturday.

Quesada is not accused of lying about her criminal record. When she was hired, the bank only asked if she had committed any felonies.

The discovery was made after Wells Fargo Home Mortgage called for thorough background checks on all mortgage team members. Company spokesman Jim Hines told the Journal Sentinel that the screenings were not part of a downsizing initiative.

Quesada worked at Wells Fargo for five years and earned multiple awards and certificates of appreciation. "[I'm] very good at what I do for Wells Fargo," she told WTMJ in Milwaukee. For the bank, however, the termination was a matter of policy.

"Because Wells Fargo is an insured depository institution, we are bound by federal law that generally prohibits us from hiring or continuing the employment of any person who we know has a criminal record involving dishonesty or breach of trust," Hines told the Journal Sentinel.

Quesada told WTMJ that her position in customer service never requires her to handle cash.

"I think I should get it back because it's something I did 40 years ago," Quesada said. "I paid for it. I've changed my life."

What do you think -- Should Quesada have lost her job because of a crime she committed 40 years ago? Leave your comments below.